The New and the Upcoming in the World of Rap

The past two months have been undeniably huge for rap music. Of the numerous artists who’ve dropped new music, Drake, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, A$AP Rocky, and Juicy J especially stand out. Below, a list has been compiled of the most important and the best new hip-hop out there. It’s prioritized such that the songs at the top should be immediately checked out, and the songs near the bottom are still great but slightly less pressing. Enjoy.
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – Drake

If you’re reading this and haven’t yet heard the new Drake album, you’re living under a rock. Nevertheless, it’s impossible not to put it on this list. Drake’s surprise drop has already smashed streaming records, and has reportedly been downloaded over 400,000 times through services like iTunes. Why? Because it’s that good.

Must-Hear Songs:

Pretty much the entire album is a must hear, but “Know Yourself” particularly stands out.

https://play.spotify.com/album/0ptlfJfwGTy0Yvrk14JK1I

Dark Paradise – Big Sean

Big Sean steps it up to the big leagues with his newest album, and finally shows that he might be worthy to one day fill the shoes of his mentor, Kanye West. This is the first album where Big Sean hasn’t relied extensively on features to produce hit tracks, which shows not only his self-improvement but also the further development of his own style. If he continues to progress at this rate, he may soon start being compared to stars like Kendrick Lamar and Drake.

Must-Hear Songs:

Blessings (feat. Drake)

All Your Fault (feat. Kanye West)

Win Some Lose Some

https://play.spotify.com/album/1j2x7FJXTgUT0X5hZ8TDXE

Blue Dream & Lean 2 – Juicy J

Juicy J came in hot with this mix tape that features multiple high profile artists such as Rae Sremmurd, Wiz Khalifa, and Future to name a few. We haven’t heard for a while from the Memphis, Tennessee, born rapper, so it’s pretty awesome to see him finally coming out with new stuff. If this is his only his mix tape, his upcoming album should be even better, and hopefully it will continue to strengthen his place among one of the all time trap gods.

The racially charged song is a huge 180 degree turn from the sappier “i” that was released a few months early, and thank goodness for that. The “m.A.A.d City” Kendrick Lamar is infinitely times better than the “love yourself” Kendrick Lamar, and this song ensures that he has not departed from his gangbanging ways. If this track is any indicator of how good Kendrick’s upcoming album is going to be, then other rappers better watch out. K Dot might just steal the spotlight in 2015.

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AhXSoKa8xw[/embedyt]

“Indie (feat. Sway Burr & Rich Homie Quan)” – A$AP Rocky

A$AP Rocky has also been relatively quiet as he continues working on his upcoming album, and “Indie” is a small sample of what we can expect when it finally drops. Basically, be prepared for a more mellowed out “Lord Pretty Flacko”, with a mixture of chill hip-hop and trap beats. It will be an interesting combination, and it will be even more interesting to see if it lives up to the masterpiece that was Long.Live.A$AP.

These guys are the up and coming. It is unquestionable that New York City and Atlanta are producing some of the hottest rappers in the game right now, and songs like this one are a testament to that. Other names that you should keep a particular eye out for are Migos, OG Maco, Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan, and Rae Sremmurd, who all hail from the Atlanta scene. In New York, besides the whole A$AP crew, Bobby Shmurda and Joey Bada$$ have been making waves as well.

Another Atlanta native, Gucci Mane is actually currently in jail. This makes the release of the mix tape all the more impressive, and shows how much hustle the 6’2’’ rapper really has. When other Atlanta based rappers speak of him, they always mention how he has one of the best knacks for discovering new talent. The mix tape in itself is not amazing, but it’s still worth a listen just to know what one of the founders of trap has been up to.